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Will Brink is the owner of the Brinkzone Blog. Will has over 15 years experience as a respected author, columnist and consultant, to the supplement, fitness, bodybuilding, and weight loss industry and has been extensively published. Will graduated from Harvard University with a concentration in the natural sciences, and is a consultant to major supplement, dairy, and pharmaceutical companies.

His often ground breaking articles can be found in publications such as Lets Live, Muscle Media 2000, MuscleMag International, The Life Extension Magazine, Muscle n Fitness, Inside Karate, Exercise For Men Only, Body International, Power, Oxygen, Penthouse, Women’s World and The Townsend Letter For Doctors.

40 Responses for Boosting Testosterone

makster:

November 08, 2010 04:21 am

Thanks for the vid Will. I do sometimes worry about my levels. I just turned 54 and still feel very energetic and fit. Last year my blood work showed the testosterone was to the lower side of normal. The Dr. said that it was O.K. and nothing to be concerned about. The more I read about it the more concerned I get.

I have and will continue to follow your advice on helping the levels. I'll get blood work done again at the begining of the year. Thanks again for the vid.

I'll make sure to wear a white lab coat and spandex for my next vid. Actually, most people have told me they like the more casual "approachable" look. If it looks like a "redneck" for you, what do you suggest then?

Well, an inside video hardly needs a hat. A sharp T shirt would look better than an open flannel shirt and why the mug of tea? (or is it Irish something?)

As I said, looks like a redneck truckie having a truckstop break and jawing on . . . . (no offence to rednecks or truckies!)

Hey Man, it’s your site and your video but remember for every “complaint” there are ten more that just tune out. (It’s not a complaint anyway, just a comment on “presentation” and if you really believe the lab coat and spandex will boost your credibility, go with it but I think you’d create another “different” impression. )

And you are the first to mention compared to the many I have gotten about how "approachable" I look in the vids, etc. So, I simply make a vid wearing what ever I happen to be wearing at the time, and know I can't make everyone happy. If one is there for good accurate info, that's what they get. As you can see from my many vids, I wear all manner of stuff, but dressing up for a vid, I don't do. Thanx for the feedback.

It never ceases to amaze me the stuff people write. Personally, the reason I continue to be a follower of your philosophy is that I find you VERY credible BECAUSE of your research background AND presentation. Don’t change as I suspect you WILL not.

I recently had labs done and my testosterone level was 767, the high end of normal for a 49 year old male. I’m not sure but I suspect it is high because of the foods I eat, my routines (your routines) and being in an “anabolic state” much of the time during the year. I supplement with creatine, protein, and amino acids. I pay attention to the timing of my foods and carb/protein intake. I’m going to read the article now on boosting testosterone. Thanks for all your help.
Chris

Paul, one key way to keep estrogen down as we age is to keep bodyfat in check. One of the reasons men make more estrogen as they age, may simply be due to the fact they lose muscle and add bodyfat. There are some supplements that may help to control estrogen, but I don't have a lot of faith in them at this time. Read articles lined below vid. In addition to having T tested (and adjusting if needed) every year after 40, estrogen (E2/estradiol) should also be checked in men, along with other hormones.

Thanks for the info. I for one don't care how you dress. The quality of the information you make available is much more important than your "look". It's the advertising people that have to rely on a "look" to try to gain credibility, since most of their content is BS.

I noticed most of the people who commented were male. I ama 45 year old female training for a competition in April/11. From what I understand I want my T to be on the higher side to aid in muscle growth. I found the video helpful, especially the part about fat intake. I am following the 30% guideleine. Thanks for the info. and any thing that may be specific to women and T would be helpful.

Found it !!!…great article. I currently take 5mg of DHEA, seems rather low compared to the amounts listed in your article. I will be seeing a Dr. on the 10th who will read recent blood work where T. and DHEA etc were measured. We'll see what he says !!…thanks again
Susan

justin:

November 17, 2010 09:11 am

thanks will,
great information.i have low testosterone as i took steroids about 15 years ago now.as a result my t levels never got back to normali've been given t replacement therapy such as sustaton 250 and nebido,but my levels of t fluctuated a lot on these as it was 1 injection every fortnight for the sustaton and every 10 weeks for the nebido as it was 1000mg.my endocrinologist now wants me to try tostran gel-60mg daily.i see him tomorrow,which i know is a bit short notice,but any advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated as this has been a long standing problem for me.i've always been a big fan of yours and used to enjoy your column in musclemag back in the day and your book-priming the anabolic environment.
thanks will,
all the best,
justin,
p.s i'm from south wales

As always great stuff Will, i too wonder about t levels, i have just turned 54 and finished radiation for a tumur about 6 months ago, all results so far in regards to the cancer is very positive, my days do seem to be getting better….energy levels and sleep patterns, so i am about to start my weight training again and cant wait to begin, thanks again will for your expert advice, Dave Roy Melbourne Australia.

Hi WIll I read that supplementing with D-Aspartic Acid can boost your t-levels. I believe my t-levels are low for a guy as I store fat on the thighs and butt which is supposedly indicative of low t levels, high estrogen and insulin resistance. I currently do a 3 day split of upper posterior, legs and upper anterior and do HIIT so I believe my training is working towards boosting t-levels(?) but I thought I’d get your opinion before I start popping DAA or other t-boosters

Did you watch the vid and read article linked above “Testosterone Boosting Supplements : The Facts”? If so, you know I feel all “T boosters” are not worth the $$$ at this time. Two, the only to know if you have low T, high E, etc is to have blood work done. That’s the place to start to see where your hormones are at, and then adjust/plan accordingly. Read articles/see vids here on blood work, etc. Good luck!

Hi Will. I always suspected I had low T and a few years ago got tested and confirm with a 170 reading. Took Androgel which boosted to 500s but then seemed to wear off as levels dropped into 200s. Tried a compound and that never got me above 300. I Stoped for a month got retested at 145 and then was put on Testim which raised me to 605. Three months into Testim I feel like it is starting to work less and less already. My endocrinologist sounds unlikely to prescribe a larger dose, I’m at 10 g a day. Any adivce? I’d really like to get to high end readings of 900 or so consistently. I’m 42, been lifting hard regularly for 20 yrs with progress but not the gains I should have experienced plus I’ve dealt with all the negative health effects of low T like low energy, sex drive, depression etc. Would OTC Dhea help? I’ve added some cortisol restricting suplliments recently. Thanks in advance

Well “I feel like it is starting to work less and less already” is not an objective test, so best thing to do is see where your T levels are with that dose. If they are high as you want them, then you need to look at other possible issues effecting how you feel, ad there’s a long list of possible tests, hormones, etc to track down to see what the issue is. Find a competent endocrinologist, hopefully one specializing in male HRT/TRT and see if he/she can figure out what’s not up to snuff for you. Read my article linked above on blood work, it covers where a wide range of hormones should be for most people.

Would have to depend on how often and how much. As it’s something needed to control a potentially life threatening condition, it’s one of those things one has to work with. Long term use of corticosteroids – usually to control a serious disease/condition – have well known side effects. Occasional use of inhaler for asthma, which has only a short lived acute effect, probably not an issue, but again, three Ds always applies: Drug, Dose, Duration.

I have to use a corticosteroid inhaler, 160 mgs 2 times a day to control my condition, for life.. altough it says on the label that in the case of child use it can even affect growth, my doctor says its fine and that because it is inhaled it doesnt have the same effect as pills for example, because it is only directed to the lungs, but i im not believin in that.. do you think that its effect both on growth hormone and testosterone can affect muscle gains ?
I have allways taken it so i dont have any way of comparing.. i had some good gains in the first year but these last 2 have been a struglle to gain anything.. im very well educated in terms of exercise and diet, so i think that the reason for this slow growth can only be in low test from the meds
You are my number one trusted expert online, so, thanks a lot for the help

He’s right in that it’s not the same as taking it orally or by injection. I have not seen any studies (but have not looked either) showing corticosteroids from inhalers impacts hormones like T. The only way to really know is to have yours checked per article linked below vid that covers the importance of regular blood work.

OK Will Iam turning 68 in a couple of weeks and have tested low testosterone. However the older I get the more the medical profession seems to not want to treat things such as low T. One of the things I always get from them is what ever the test may be thats OK for your age. I feel like they are saying your life is pretty much over your in a holding pattern until you die, and I certainly don’t appreciate that. Until a couple of months ago I was wieght training every day I over did it a bit I suppose and pulled my rotator tendions I didn’t quit when I originaly realized what was happening but have been off for a few months now and am ready t start back I think I need more testosterone for muscle development what would you suggest?

I would recommend you read the articles linked below the vid, in particular “It’s In Your Blood” which gives some specific recs on what you need to know about essential aspects of blood work, and how to deal with medical professionals regarding your blood work, etc. It may simply be finding a doc willing to work with you on achieving optimal levels of essential hormones vs “OK for your age” levels…